In need of a sucker, I mean TESTER

[notpod]

This info is found here: http://elinux.org/Hack_A10_devices

Here is instructions to let the device go to firmware upgrading mode:

*** (It should be applied for all A10 devices)***

• 1. power off the device
• 2. Press and hold any physical key except the power key on the device(ie, press and hold Vol+ key, still holding in 3 and 4)
• 3. Press and hold power key for about 2s(power on the device, when powering on, if a key is pressed, the devices will not boot until key released or 4)
• 4. Release power key and press power key 3 times(i usually just keep pressing the power key)

Typically you need to pull the battery to back out or exit the bootloader without doing anything.

Can/has/will someone who has opened the case on the pmid701c try this procedure? Check first if you can unplug the battery!!!

*** If you have never done this please don't just becuase I am asking! ***

It looks like making a perma-brick out of this SOC/mobo is unlikely but the recovery procedure could be far from trivial.

[Zarealius]

Pics

The pics of whats inside are here

http://www.freaktab.com/showthread.php?460-Custom-ROM-Compatability-with-PMID01C-PMID701C/page2

also you can see that the wiring connection, all but the display are soldered in place...

[Finless]

It would be simple for someone with basic soldering skills to put a connector on the battery power wires.

If you cant solder you could easily add a crimp type connector inbetween the wires. You can get a crimp tool and connectors at a hardware store for about $5-10.

Bob

[Zarealius]

Should this device power up and show bootloader? or should it stay off? I tried this and it didnt do anything but stay off as far as I can tell, then again im also away from my PC so kinda limited here

Found a usb cord will try this method and then plug in the usb and see if the result is different.

*Side note, I just watched a kid brick his simply cause he wouldnt listen to me and follow the forum instead he tried forcing Honeycomb on it, I like where he WAS going with this. To bad he didnt listen to Bob like us, or me standing there telling him "Dont do that. Seriously! DONT! YOUR GONNA BRICK IT" he responded with "Im a programmer, your a paper pusher, I think I know what Im doing here"

[Finless]

"Dont do that. Seriously! DONT! YOUR GONNA BRICK IT" he responded with "Im a programmer, your a paper pusher, I think I know what Im doing here"

Sorry gotta laugh! So many people do that today it's not funny. Then they go to the store and return it. I am not happy about hearing that honestly. In my opinion YOU screw it up, you eat the cost. Taking in back only hurts the store and the tablet maker. In that end that makes things like this more expensive AND it's no wonder support for these cheap tablets is non-existant! They simply cant afford this kind of activity.
It's also no wonder why many of these companies do things to NOT make it easy for average joe to root them. They don't want the hassles of jacked up returns by users.

In my opinion, until someone figures out how to dump this tabs ROM so you all have a way to recover from a brick, I would not flash anything!

Bob

[Zarealius]

In my opinion, until someone figures out how to dump this tabs ROM so you all have a way to recover from a brick, I would not flash anything!

Bob

I was contacted earlier by someone offering to help dump out this ROM. Lets just hope he has some success

[notpod]

ROM is dumped.

Rom is dumped including /dev/block/nanda (home of the kernel). Only I leave at 4am and am running out of time in this race. I figure you will have a working ROM and maybe even ICS from someplace else before I return. I'll check in some more but I am pretty much done for the day.

My **** special Roku came today I need to get that setup before I go.

Good luck and have fun, I can only imagine what all will be going on here when I get back...

[Zarealius]

Rom is dumped including /dev/block/nanda (home of the kernel). Only I leave at 4am and am running out of time in this race. I figure you will have a working ROM and maybe even ICS from someplace else before I return. I'll check in some more but I am pretty much done for the day.

My **** special Roku came today I need to get that setup before I go.

Good luck and have fun, I can only imagine what all will be going on here when I get back...

Care to share the secrets to your seccessful ROM dump? Or Perhaps how you got that bootloader to actually open? I tried the method here to no avail.

[Finless]

I can PM you a FTP here on Freaktab to upload the DUMP and then will post a download link here for everyone.

Let me know and I will PM you.

Bob

[Zarealius]

Surrender

I surrender this thing has me at my wits end right now, still not properly rooted and have no idea how to dump my rom since adb keeps crashing my F&(&*ng PC and now I cant even get adb to stay up gonna have to find the cmd line for it

* Bob PM me a shipping address! Somehow Ive managed to loose my Windows certificate and now I get a "Windows may not be genuine!" Knew I should have grabbed that Linux dev PC when it was up for grabs!

[notpod]

Ready to FTP or make your own

OK

I have not even attempted the bootload yet. I was hoping someone else would have worked that out.

I have moved my project to ubuntu 10 which I think from what I have read is the enviroment that you want to use for such things. My DD extracts seem goods as I can mount them fine in ubuntu. I think it was a lack of EXT4 support on win7, mac os x and my older gentoo linux.

So you can make your own with the DD command method.

But I know Bob does not have a unit in hand so I am willing to get these uploaded for him. If he agrees that they are good then we will make them public. I would realy like some review before someone does something bad.

[sabercatpuck]

still looking for volunteers?

if you are i have been wielding a soldering iron since i was about 6 years old so that is not a problem. only issue i would have is limited time untill about tuesday. i am not a bad guinea pig as long as the instructions are good since at this point i dont know much about the inner workings of android.

[Zarealius]

Cake

if you are i have been wielding a soldering iron since i was about 6 years old so that is not a problem. only issue i would have is limited time untill about tuesday. i am not a bad guinea pig as long as the instructions are good since at this point i dont know much about the inner workings of android.

Honestly saber its 4 screws and a credit card wedged in the top right corner bam its open everything is available for you to actually see first hand. Personally Im glad I did. Also remember when taking it apart to Start at the top right corner and slide the cc down to "pop" it ajar do not open it all the way until the entire front bezel is free AND THEN OPEN IT LIKE A BOOK SLOWLY! I cannot express how vital that step is. The connecting cords for the display are awkwardly laid, you'll see. And as always be careful!

[sabercatpuck]

Not scared of taking it apart, just need good instruction on what commands to send

Honestly saber its 4 screws and a credit card wedged in the top right corner bam its open everything is available for you to actually see first hand.

Thanks for the good info, but it is the android OS that I am a greenhorn at, taking things apart is just in my nature (got a boneyard full of old stuff in my garage workshop, though the logic analyzers hold a special place of honor in my laptop bag, needed them when I started working on the 68HC11 driven brain box in my car) (Hmm speaking of the boneyard, I wonder if I could find a complementary flash to solder in the open hole on the motherboard??????, I know I have some 4G's on the little MP4 players I just picked up, but not quite ready to sacrifice those.....)

Oh by the way even as green as I am I wouldnt have picked just some random gingerbread to throw on. If I wanted to throw caution to the wind and just go for it I would have used the Onda ICS firmwares. At least those are close being on the same motherboard, though I would imagine still enough differences to have not so nice consequenses.